Hand operated nutcracker with reciprocating jaw



July 6, 1948 E. l... DANIEL HAND OPERATED NUT CRACKER WITH RECIPROCATINGJAW Filed May 28, 1945 k INVENTOR. fZ/HSAQfiF/V/EA.

Patented July 6, 1.948

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAND OPERATED NUTCRACKER WITH RECIPROCATINGJAW My invention relates to a nut cracker and has for its principalobject, to provide a simple, strong and durable device particularlydesigned for the efficient cracking of the shells of nuts and whichdevice is readily adjustable, in order to receive and crack nuts ofdifferent sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the characterreferred to, which may be conveniently employed for gripping andunscrewing threaded bottle and jar caps.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improved nut cracker.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the nut cracker secured to a nutbowl.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates apreferred embodiment of my invention, It and II designate respectively,upper and lower handles, the forward ends of which are connected by aretractile spring I2, which occupies recesses l3 formed in said handlesand secured to the upper face of lower handle ll, immediately to therear of spring [2 is an upstanding post or finger l4, provided on itsforward edge with a series of notches [5.

This post passes through an aperture It, formed in the forward portionof upper handle In, the length of said aperture being slightly greaterthan the width of post It and formed between the upper forward end ofsaid aperture and the upper end of the recess l3 in the upper handle, isa rearwardly projecting tooth I! which is adapted to engage in notchesl5 while the device is in use.

Formed in the underface of upper handle It and in the upper face oflower handle H to the rear of post l4 and aperture it are elongatedshallow recesses, the surfaces of which are toothed or corrugated asdesignated by I8, thus in elfect providing jaws for the nuts that arecracked.

In the use of my improved nut cracker, handle it is drawn upward awayfrom handle H and at the same time the rear end of said handle iselevated with respect to its forward end, such movement expanding springl2 and storing power therein.

The nut to be cracked is now placed between the toothed jaws l8 and therear ends of the handles are now forcibly pressed toward each other.

During the first portion of the movement of the rear end of handle illtoward handle H, said handle It] or the jaw portion thereof fulcrums onthe top of the nut, thus slightly elevating and moving tooth l1 into oneof the notches l5, so that said tooth now becomes the fulcrum and theensuing pressure (weight) is applied to the nut until the shell thereofis broken.

Spring l2 yieldingly resists movement of the forward ends of the handlesaway from each other and after a nut is cracked and removed from betweenthe jaws, said spring acts to draw the jaws together.

In Fig. 5, the nut cracker is shown secured by screws or the like to theedge of a nut bowl.

When tightening or lowering the screw caps of bottles, jars and thelike, said caps are clamped between the toothed portions l8 of thehandles.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a nut cracker which is simplein structure, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in theperformance of its intended functions.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form andconstruction of the various parts of my improved nut cracker, may bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is setforth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a nut cracker, a pair of handles, a retractile spring connecting theforward ends of said handles, the forward portion of one handle beingprovided with an aperture, an integral post projecting at right anglesfrom the other handle and extending through said aperture, the inner endwell of said aperture being inclined so as to permit the aperturedhandle to tilt vertically when moved upwardly from the lower handle,REFERENCES CITED the front edge of which post is notched, a. tooth Thefollowing references are of record in the formed on the apertured handleand extending file of this Patent! rearwardly from the upper end of saidaperture, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS for engaging the notches on said postand the adjacent inner faces of said handles rearwardly Number Name Datefrom said aperture being provided with shallow 9511783 Laube corrugatedrecesses for the reception of nuts to 1382278 Nemilann 1918 be cracked1,367,384 I-iarrison Feb. 1, 1921 2,072,360 Eaton Mar. 2, 1937 ELIAS L.DANIEL.

